I’m wondering, at this point, when Pixar’s going to screw it all up. Earlier today I saw a screening of their latest, the excruciatingly named Ratatouille, and I’m going to say here and now that it’s the best thing they’ve done so far. Which’d be fine, you know, if they hadn’t also done The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo, and Toy Story—animated films that boast better narratives and characters than most live-action productions, and look gorgeous to boot.

Ratatouille—and if you haven’t seen the great trailer yet, I’d advise you to—follows Remy, a rat living in France who loves good food. (No, I’m not going to call him a “foodie,” as that term is annoying as fuck even when it’s not being applied to cartoon characters.) Problem is, Remy (voiced by awesome comedian Patton Oswalt) is still a rat, which means he’s either got to steal great food or find some other way to get it. Luckily, he meets up with gangly doofus Linguini, who just got hired as the garbage boy for a once-grand Parisian restaurant. Culinary (and other) antics quickly ensue, etc.

I’m not going to say too much—the film’s not out until June 29th, and I’ll write a real review for the paper then—but I will say that Ratatouille’s one of my favorites so far this year. This summer, in particular, has been pretty uneven, with all the big “threequels” (Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and Shrek the Third) disappointing in one way or another, and only one really great movie so far (Knocked Up). Ocean’s Thirteen (out this Friday) is fun, but it’s nothing extraordinary, so unless you’re into giant transmorphin’ robots, this summer’s looking a bit anemic in terms of excitement-worthy major motion pictures. Ratatouille, at least, is going to change that.